Center Twp. raises property taxes for first time in 25 years

CENTER TWP. — It’s been so long since Center Township has raised property taxes that no one can remember exactly when the last increase was approved.

That 25-years-plus streak came to an end Monday when township supervisors adopted a $5.6 million budget for 2010 that raises taxes by 1.5 mills. At the new 8.5-mill rate, properties with an assessed value of $75,000 would generate a tax bill of $637.50, up from $525.

Bill DiCioccio Jr., chairman of the township supervisors, said officials looked everywhere for places to make cuts, but this year they couldn’t come up with enough.

“We’ve been doing the same thing for the last few years — making cuts and dipping into reserves to make it work without an increase,” he said. “This year, the increases were too steep and we couldn’t come up with enough.”

For example, township secretary Rachael DelTondo said health insurance costs were expected to increase by more than $200,000, and the amount the township pays for road salt has tripled.

“There is no way around it. This was a hard budget,” DelTondo said.

The township is going as far as not replacing two people who left the road department and one who left the office staff in 2009, DiCioccio said.

“You never like to raise taxes, and when we’ve gone so long without an increase, it’s especially hard,” he said. “This year, there was nothing else we could do.”

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